Abstract

The Constitution provides that when organs of state contract for goods or services, they must comply with, inter alia, the following principles: fairness, competitiveness and cost-effectiveness. In brief, this means that organs of state should make use of competition when procuring goods or services. Organs of state should 'shop around' and attract the maximum number of contractors who will participate in such competition. An organ of state should then choose to contract with whoever offers the best deal. In other words the aim is to ensure the attainment of the best value for money - public money should be spent in an effective and efficient manner. Those who participate in government procurement procedures should also be treated fairly and even-handedly; there should be no bias in the award of contracts.